SACRAMENTO: Counties association urges veto of bill

Assembly Speaker John A. Perez (left) and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (center) signed off on legislation last month to restore vehicle license-fee revenue to new cities. But it's unknown what Gov. Jerry Brown thinks about the bill.

SACRAMENTO â" The fate of legislation that would restore millions of dollars for Riverside Countyâs newest cities could hinge on whether Gov. Jerry Brown ignores the objections of the organization representing the stateâs 58 counties.

The California State Association of Counties last week sent Brown a letter urging him to veto Assembly Bill 1098, deepening a rift that has prompted one Riverside County lawmaker to propose that the county consider withdrawing from the group in protest.

The measure, which shot through the Legislature just before it adjourned for the year, would allocate $14 million to Jurupa Valley, Eastvale, Wildomar and Menifee. Lawmakers and city officials said the bill would prevent Jurupa Valleyâs disincorporation. It also includes $4 million for cities that have annexed populated areas, such as Fontana.

The money would come from a pot of funding that helps pay for realignment, last yearâs shift of various criminal-justice, mental health and social service programs to counties. Counties, which helped negotiate the mechanics of realignment, have repeatedly voiced concerns of inadequate funding to pay for it.

Jean Hurst, a lobbyist for the counties association, said counties fear that AB 1098 would be just the start. Future incorporations and large annexations would divert more money from countiesâ realignment obligations, she said. Sacramento County also sent a veto letter.

âWe have a lot of sympathy for the situation that these folks find themselves in,â Hurst said of the Riverside County cities, noting that the associationâs veto letter urges a solution to the citiesâ problems. âBut we didnât keep these issues quiet, thatâs for sure. People went into it with their eyes wide open.â

Leaders of the four Riverside County cities and the county, the states fifth-largest, have tried to change the associationâs mind.

Supervisor John Benoit, a former state lawmaker, came to Sacramento earlier this month to press the countiesâ board to drop its opposition to AB 1098. County officials heard him out but stuck to the associationâs position of opposing anything that risks countiesâ bottom line.

Brown and the county association have worked closely on realignment and other issues. Unlike cities, counties did not oppose Brownâs controversial effort to scrap local redevelopment agencies.

And earlier this month, the association announced its support for Prop. 30, the governorâs ballot measure to temporarily raise the sales tax and increase the income tax on high-income filers.

On Monday, Benoit said heâs worried that the associationâs stance could doom the bill.

âCSAC carries some sway. They have supported the governor in some key areas,â Benoit said.

Brown has until Sept. 30 to act on the measure. He has not taken a position on the legislation.

The issue stems from last yearâs $86 billion state budget, which shifted citiesâ vehicle license-fee funding to help pay for local law-enforcement grants.

All cities lost money in the diversion. But the cuts disproportionately impacted cities that have incorporated since 2006, all of which are in Riverside County.

Efforts to restore the money failed last September and again earlier this year.

Late last month, the citiesâ supporters amended unrelated legislation to contain the contents of this yearâs earlier bill. It did not include language that the counties wanted in the spring and amendments were impossible during the frenetic final hours of the legislative session.

County lobbyists testified against the measure during committee hearings late Aug. 31, frustrating some Inland lawmakers.

At one point, Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries, R-Lake Elsinore, who is running for supervisor, tweeted, âRivCo shld have discussion as to w/drawing from CA Assoc of Counties over opposition to saving our 4 cities!â

Benoit said he would not support taking such a step. âWeâre not a one-issue county. My reaction is to try to be more involved, not less involved, with CSAC.â

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